In the August 13 edition of U.S. News & World Report, there was a story titled "All Work and No Play Makes a Company...Unproductive." It mentioned that taking a break from work is good for mental health. The article mentions that American Express did a study that shows "more than a third of small-business people say their best ideas -- the ones that lead to business growth -- come not at work but during their downtime." The health benefits of time away from work are also stressed. It says that foreigners who don't put in the same hours as Americans live longer, weigh less, and have lower divorce rates. Happy people? No surprise here -- they tend to be more productive than unhappy people.
The message is clear. In order to be more productive at work and lead a healthier life, you need to set some time aside for yourself. Take a vacation for your professional and personal health.
So, in the interest of the continued success of AMT, and the personal desire to live longer, weigh less, and not get a divorce, I am taking a vacation right now. I wrote this blog before I left the office last week, and asked my website manager to post it live today.
Talk to you next week as I return to the daily routine here at AMT.
Joe Escobar